The "Green Up!" Campaign is designed to bring the concept of the green economy closer to European citizens, by linking the economic sectors essential to "greening" the global economy to specific actions and initiative.
Recent studies indicate that failure to recycle metals present in mobile phones wastes resources, pollutes sensitive natural habitats, and causes shortages of essential elements.
25 November 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a “Green Up!” Campaign to encourage people across Europe to recycle old mobile phones. The Green Up! Campaign also seeks to bring the concept of the green economy closer to European citizens, by linking the economic sectors essential to “greening” the global economy to specific actions and initiative.
According to UNEP, recent studies indicate that failure to recycle metals present in mobile phones: wastes resources, leading to more mining; pollutes sensitive natural habitats; and causes shortages of essential elements.
The Green Up! website includes a map with recycling centres, which UNEP hopes will eventually include all European mobile phone recycling centres. [UNEP Press Release] [Green Up! Website]